Union Home Minister Amit Shah will turn 57 on Friday. Known as the right-hand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah rose through the party ranks with his excellent organisational and management skills.
Amit Shah, a close aide of PM Modi, has been credited with leading the BJP to victory in several elections as the party's president. Referred to as 'Chanakya' of modern-day politics for his organisational abilities, Shah brings with him a vast experience in the political arena.
Born in 1964 in Mumbai, Amit Shah was involved with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at a young age. He later went on to become the Union Home Minister in the second term of the Narendra Modi-led central government.
The Gujarat political journey:
After becoming a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at a young age, Amit Shah later went on to serve as the Gujarat Home Minister when the state was under the stewardship of PM Modi.
Shah started his political career as a leader of the student wing of the RSS, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, in 1983. In 1987, he joined BJP. He first met Narendra Modi in 1982 through Ahmedabad RSS circles.
Since 1989, Amit Shah has fought 29 elections, including various local body polls. Shah was elected as an MLA from Gujarat’s Sarkhej in four consecutive elections — 1997 (by-election), 1998, 2002 and 2007.
From a booth-level worker in Gujarat to state home minister to a national political figure, Shah has had a terrific political journey so far. In Gujarat, Shah served as the Home Minister in the BJP government, which was helmed by Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister of the state at that time.
During Narendra Modi's tenure as the Gujarat CM, Shah emerged as one of the most powerful leaders in the state. After winning the 2002 state elections, he became the youngest minister in the Modi-led Gujarat government, and was given multiple portfolios.
Becomes BJP president:
Since his appointment as BJP president in 2014, Shah has been instrumental in leading the party to electoral victories in many states, particularly in the North-East.
He was party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and helped BJP and its allies win 73 out of 80 seats in the general elections. As a result, Shah rose to national prominence and was appointed as the party's national president in July 2014.
Amit Shah was the BJP president for more than five-and-a-half years from 2014, and the party grew by leaps and bounds under him, capturing power in many states and returning to the helm at the Centre in 2019 with a bigger win than 2014.
In January 2020, Amit Shah was succeeded as the BJP president by Jagat Prakash Nadda.
Home Minister:
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Amit Shah also managed BJP's election campaign and rigorously campaigned at the same time, which lead the party winning 303 seats. Hence, BJP became the first party in India, since 1971, to return with a full majority.
Amit Shah is a first-time Lok Sabha MP from Gandhinagar and was inducted into the cabinet under the second tenure of the Modi government. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Shah contested from Gandhinagar, a seat previously held by BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani, and won it comprehensively. He defeated his nearest rival Dr C J Chavda of the Indian National Congress by a margin of 557,014.
He became the Union Home Minister in the second term of the Narendra Modi-led central government. Shah took oath as Cabinet Minister on May 30, 2019 and took office as Minister of Home Affairs on June 1, 2019.
Apart from being referred to as the 'Chanakya' of modern-day politics for his organisational skills and political experience, Amit Shah is leaving an indelible imprint on the history of Indian politics.
